Carol of the Paupu
by Blooming Sun
Summary: Taking place shortly after returning to Destiny Islands, Sora, Kairi, and Riku encounter different obstacles including romance, old rivalries, and a sister of an Organization 13 member.
1. Prologue

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

* * *

The sky eased into a pale pinkish color as an orange sun lifted over the horizon of the ocean. The dark night was pushed back by this light, and as it was, a star could be seen shimmering back into existence before it was hidden by the sun. A few people awoke in the world of Destiny Islands. As a whole, Destiny Islands was a calm world, compared to others. People moved about in their daily routines, living on the main island andnever too interested in the other couple of islands. Some claimed that there was no main land, that their world were only the small islands lost at sea.Others chose to believe there was more to the world, new places that yearned to bediscovered. Nowadays, most of the residents are content to live on the main island, while young people are known to spend most of their time on averysmall island some ways out from the beach, seperated from the rest. 

This island had no particular name, and nobody had any desire to give it one. The children and adolescents rode out in the small boats common around Destiny Islands. From there, they'd land at a make shift dock that some long ago friends created. The island was intertwined with wooden passageways, a shack, a watchtower, and hidden caves. The young people entertained themselves with fishing, climbing trees, sparring, talking, relaxing, and exploring the hidden areas of the island.

If you had been there about a year or so ago, you would've seen the blackness sweeping in from all sides. How the wood was swept away in tormented fragments. How everyone was lost in an empty area, calling each other's names but never receiving an answer. Everyone felt the time pass, but could not change it. For a week or two, it stayed that way. And then, suddenly, they were all back on the mainland, as if nothing had happened. Life continued, as usual, people happily returning to their old ways, as if not a thought mattered. People sometimes spoke of two boys, one 14, the other 15. They had been lost, the night of the storm. Another one went missing two, a girl of 14. But she came back, unexpectedly, soon after.It was strange, she went and returned, with friends, and the two boys returned also. All of them, older. In one year…so much change. They have all been back but a few weeks. Most of the time they spend on the island, rarely coming onto the mainland. Something draws them to the island. They are almost the only ones there now, sometimes, but rarely, accompanied by two other boys and a girl of similar ages.

This story starts in late summer, a few days after the returning of our heroes, Sora, Riku, and Kairi.


	2. Chap 1: Of Morning Surprises

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

_I was interested in starting this story because, in the game, they don't show you what happens between the time that the heroes return and the time that the message comes. I'm sure that at **least** a few weeks would have had to passed, and I have decided to take full advantage of that._

Kairi leaned on the wooden wall of the watchtower, letting her arms fold over themselves. A breeze ruffled her shoulder length red hair, her grey blue eyes sparkling as she watched the sun rise. She enjoyed the sunset, because it was the time that she reviewed the day with pleasure with her two best friends. But this…this was a crisp feeling, a fresh start. Stretching her arms out, she thought, _And it's all mine._

She laughed to herself for a moment. How fast everything had happened, how fast it had all rushed by. How much had happened that she would never have expected…how much that didn't happen that she wished for. She shook her head. It was silly, she knew, to be wishful so soon after. She should be happy that Riku had returned to his light and that Sora…well, she was thrilled that Sora was safe. But she couldn't help it. As Riku with his search for new and exciting things, and Sora with his kind nature and push for justice, she couldn't help wishing sometimes.

Smiling at the sun, she fingered the rope next to her that was dangerously set up to allow anybody to sail across to the sometimes unstable post halfway across the beach. She had never really tried it before…Sora had always offered to help her, but she had been too scared. _Maybe now...yeah, maybe today._

Sora tugged the rope on his small boat; he didn't want to lose it now. He straightened up, stretching his arms far above his head. Surprised, Sora saw another small boat at the dock. Squinting at it in the small amount of light, he tried to discern whose it was. After a few moments of studying, he shook his head. He had no idea. He locked his arms behind his head, walking along the beach, enjoying the early morning. He wasn't out here this early often, but he had had a feeling. Besides, his parents were still getting used to having him back, so he knew that some morning time alone would help them adjust.

He weaved his way among the island, climbing through the small wooden shack and climbing down a couple of ladders. As he reached the end of the front side of the island, he had a desire to go through the passage of the wooden wall, to see the back side of the island, to see the morning from there. As soon as he crossed through, he remembered how Riku and he (_was it really a year ago?_) used to race along here. _And Kairi used to start off us._ He grinned to himself. Feeling the familiar burst of energy, he rushed forward, leaping across the deteriorating bridge. The white sand flew as his black shoes pounded the ground, his hood flapping out behind him. Cool air slapped against his face, and he closed his bright blue eyes for a moment, letting the sea breeze kiss his face.

Taking a deep breath as he reached the watch tower, he looked up the tall ladder. Riku had always chosen to run across the beach, but he, Sora, had always found the watch tower way more satisfying. _For old times' sake._ He grinned to himself, and quickly started to pull himself up the rungs of the ladder. Jumping up the last step, he flashed a smile of triumph to the empty watch tower.

_Well…I thought it was empty…_

Kairi whirled around quickly, her heart pounding as she had heard the sudden clatter behind her, thinking she had been the only one in all of Destiny Islands to be awake. Seeing the quirky guy across from her, the spiky brown hair looking messy, her heart skipped a beat. _I wonder if he knows… _She smiled at him, feeling a bit nervous. They hadn't really spent a lot of time together since they had returned from the World That Never Was, everything was so busy.

Sora felt a foolish grin come over his face, one he was slowly becoming used to. It had happened before, multiple times really, in the few weeks, when he had been traveling with Donald and Goofy. _Like that time in Port Royal with Elizabeth and Will…or in Halloween Town with Jack and Sally…_ His face tinged a slightly pink color at the thought, and darkened even a bit more when he realized he was blushing in front of her. _She's wearing that pink outfit…the one that makes her hair look…nicer…_

"Hi Sora," she said, smiling her teasing grin and tilting her head to the side slightly.

He felt a pang at that smile. It happened every time she looked at him that way. "H-hey," he said, clearing his voice that had sounded funny to him, "hey Kairi. Um…ah…what are you doing up here? I mean, this early?"

She blushed a little, as if she was embarrassed to be caught where she was. "Oh, I like coming up here sometimes, to watch the sun rise. It's just that since _you_," she poked him playfully in the shoulder, "came back, there's been so much excitement that I haven't been able to come up here lately."

Sora faked pain, rubbing the place where she poked him. "Well, now you're here."

Kairi giggled. "Yeah…what are you doing up here?"

He shrugged and looked out over the edge of the tower towards the rising sun. "Just…" he glanced back at her and let a small smile creep onto his face, "wanted to." Kairi nodded and smiled in response, and there was a moment as they just watched each other, smiling. A slight breeze passed between them, and they started back.

"So," Sora said, gesturing to the rope. "You ever go on this yet?"

She shook her head, her dark red hair brushing back and forth in front of her face. Mesmerized, he watched them carefully, wanting to touch them, brush them away so he could see her. She looked up at him again and the heated feeling returned, not wanting to be caught staring at her. "I've still been a little scared," she answered to his question, wandering over to the pulley. He walked up behind her.

"Come on, it's a lot of fun." She smiled and shook her head again, looking imploringly over her shoulder at him. He smiled back. "I promise, you'll be okay. I'll be here, look, I'll even help you." She turned around to face the pulley again.

"Are you sure, Sora?"

"'Course I'm sure."

He gently held her elbows and placed her hands on the pulley.

_Sparks._

He placed his hands on her waist, wondering if she could hear the pounding from his chest. For some reason, he didn't want to disturb the quiet around him, so he whispered instead. "Ready?"

"I think so…Yes. Ready."

He gave her a gentle push.

With a playful shriek, she flew down the rope, the pulley swooping her along. She dropped her hands just in time, landing on the post. She doubled over, and his gut clenched.

"Kairi! Are you okay?" he called out, but even as he did, he knew she was. He could hear her laughing. She stood up and waved, her other hand covering her mouth as ecstasy poured out in giggles. She gestured with her hands, motioning for him to bring the pulley back up so he could ride down to the post too. In a few moments, he was there with her, laughing and enjoying the sunrise.


	3. Chap 2: Of Sandwiches and Blitzballs

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

_In this part, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie make an appearance. For the sake of the story, they are the version portrayed in the KH games, rather than in the Final Fantasy series._

* * *

"Sora! Kairi!"

The two were sitting on the roof of the shack, trying to play a word game, but failing terribly at it. Laughing, they both looked over to the dock where the voice had called.

Riku hopped from his boat onto the wood, waving. They waved back, calling him over. He leisurely took his time walking until further urging from his friends. Running over, he quickly scaled the roof to join the others. Immediately, Riku waved a bag he carried in front of his friends' faces. They interest was quickly piqued.

"Hey…Riku…what's in the bag?" Sora asked, watching the bag dangle above him. Kairi giggled, already having guessed.

Riku chuckled. "You'd think a hero who saved worlds would've at least been able to bring something to eat, don't you?"

Sora pouted. "It was early!" he protested. "And," he continued, trying to direct any more teasing away from him and to the older boy instead, "how'd _you_ know _we_ were up here?"

Riku flashed his all knowing smirk. "Since when have you forgotten where we live? Our houses are next door! Your boat was missing," he said, pointing to Sora, "and so was yours!" His finger moved to accuse Kairi next. "But no matter, for I have saved you all, from certain death I might add, by bringing you…sandwiches!"

"Well okay then," Sora retaliated, "what _kind_ are they then?"

Faltering, Riku looked at the bag with a look of slight confusion, "I'm…not sure. I just asked Gohan for a few, but I, er, wasn't really paying attention…" The boys both looked at the bag, as if they were afraid some toxic explosives might pop out of the bag at any moment.

"Oh! You boys!" Kairi exclaimed, standing up indignantly and grabbing the bag from Riku. The other two watched with interest as she shifted through the bag, shaking it as the sandwiches tumbled out into her hand. "Look!" she said, holding out the first sandwich. "This one's fish. Who wants it?" Sora waved his hands in the air, almost tripping himself trying to grab it first, even though no one was competing for it but him.

"Ha!" he cried triumphantly.

Riku shook his head, as if he disapproved of the childish action. "Alright then," he said, shrugging, "what else is in there?"

"Hmm…this one has a lot of different things on it, I can't really tell," Kairi responded, offering the sandwich to Riku. He took it with a look of amused apprehension. "And I have…ham!" Sitting back down on the roof of the shack, the three hungrily tore into the sandwich.

"So how long have you two been out here?" Riku asked between bites.

"Shence hearly vorning," Sora said, trying to speak around the food in his mouth. Riku laughed as he watched Kairi elbow Sora.

"It's not polite to talk with your mouth full!" Kairi scolded.

As an answer, he simply swallowed and tried one of his face covering smiles. This was received with laughs before Kairi answered the question.

"Aha," Riku said, feigning deep thought. "This is an interesting development indeed…"

"Hey!" Sora said, turning on him. "What does that mean?"

"Haha! You should've seen your face!" Riku said, pointing and laughing before this caused him to tumble off the roof of the shack. Sora and Kairi laughed at him. Glaring at the two of them while trying to hide a smirk on his face, Riku brushed sand off of his face and jumped back onto the top of the shack.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as the trio sat on the beach, the water threatening to wash over their feet but only playfully teasing them. They were looking out at the ocean, not really talking, but resigned to relaxing. Shouts near the dock changed their attention. Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus were running over, waving and shouting words of greeting.

"Hey dudes," Wakka said, as he reached them first. "Haven't seen you around in a long time, ya?"

"You guys must've had some adventure to be gone that long," Tidus agreed, coming over.

"Will you two wait up?" Selphie cried, greeting them last. "It's so nice to have you two back! The whole town's talking about it!"

Slightly overwhelmed by the positive energy the three were exerting, the boys couldn't help staring up at them with helpless smiles on their faces. Kairi immediately jumped up and ran off to chat with Selphie somewhere, leaving Sora and Riku with only a smile and a wave.

"Did you two get any better at fighting?" Tidus taunted, but all four of the young men knew that it was really directed at Sora, for Riku had been the real star fighter of the island.

Cutting in before his friend, Riku replied, "Sora's better than I am…" After a moment of thought he added, "But not by much."

Protesting, Sora bounded to his feet, boasting that he could beat any one of them that challenged. Tidus was the first to agree to the task, and he handed off a wooden sword to Sora. Seeing Sora's bewildered expression, Riku laughed.

"What is it Sora? Cat gotcha tongue?" Tidus asked, waving his red sword threateningly at his old friend.

"Naw," Sora said, brandishing a few swings at the air with the toy. "I'm just…used to a different weapon, that's all," he continued, thinking of the Keyblade that would appear when the need summoned it, but it still seemed odd. _Besides,_ he reasoned, _I wouldn't actually want to hurt anybody with the Key._

Wakka tossed his Blitzball in the air. "Ya ready for some old fashioned Blitzball, Riku?"

Pulling out his own wooden sword, Riku lowered into fighting stance. "Ready when you are Wakka!"

And with that, a two on two battle of childhood friends began on the small island.

* * *

_Hope you liked that part. I'm still basically setting everything up, so bear with me. I hope that after I finish this series of the few weeks between the return and the arrival of the King's message, I might begin my own version of the tale to come. Anyway, keep reading and reviewing, and thanks to those who have reviewed so far, made me feel very happy. :)_


	4. Chap 3: Of Tomorrow and People

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

"Today's felt like a dream," Sora remarked in the calm quiet as orange and red hues faded into the purple night sky. The setting sun quivered in the water, ripples splashing against the outcropping of rock and sand near the island's beach.

Riku and Kairi glanced at their friend, a look passing between them. "What do you mean?" Kairi asked, tilting her head to the side prettily. Riku said nothing, only swinging his silver hair back in front of his face as he turned to look out to the sea again.

"I dunno," Sora replied at first, shrugging a little. "Maybe because I almost forgot what this is like," he continued, clasping his hands behind his head again. "To just relax, not to…save any worlds for the day. To feel like this life…this day…it's mind…right?" He looked at both of them, switching his glances back and forth. "You know what I mean?"

Kairi looked out at the ocean too, her hands gripping the curved trunk of the paupu tree a little tighter. "Yeah Sora, I keep remembering things we used to do, the more time I spend back with you two…it might as well be that day a year ago, when we were making the raft and I sent you all collecting supplies for our journey." She giggled. "You guys remember that, right?"

Riku brushed a hand in front of his face, as if he was pushing away a memory he didn't feel like reliving. "Yeah…yeah of course. But it is like a dream. It can't really be happening now, after everything. Seems a little…sudden, almost. One moment we're pummeling bad guys," he said, taking a few jabs at the air in front of him, "and the next," his arms fell to his sides as he leaned back against the tree, "we're soaking up the sun and eating sandwiches."

Sora nodded an affirmative. Kairi's head bobbed slightly. For the next few minutes, the threesome let the breeze rush past them.

"So…" Sora said to the air. "What…what should we do tomorrow?" He looked back between the three. "We're going to have to start school again," he gestured with hands, "in a month right? We should have more days like this, really live it out. Make it count again. …I can't even think of anything to do now. I mean, what did we used to do around here? All I can think of is wasting the hours away on this island."

"Well," Kairi said brightly, "maybe we should go to the main island." The two glanced at her. She smiled encouragingly. "C'mon, it'll be lots of fun. We can see the people in town again. We didn't really used to get around that much, did we? … You two have to return to the world of people again _sometime_!"

Riku snorted as Sora laughed. "I'm in," Sora answered. When Riku didn't say anything, he nudged his friend with his foot. "Let's do it tomorrow Riku, let's stay on the main island and see everybody. Who knows, we may even meet new people!"

"New people?" Riku scoffed, pushing away from the tree and turning to look at Sora. "There's nobody new here, Sora!" he exclaimed, waving his hands around. "They've always been the _same_ people, the _same_ ideas, the _same_ things everyday! Don't you see? _That's_ why I wanted to get away from it all. _Some_where, there _had_ to be a place where there were new things all the time. Some place where people didn't know who I was already, and I could be whoever I wanted to be, want whatever I wanted without being judged because that's not what the townspeople expected me to be. And I wanted to find that place." The flame of anger suddenly seemed to cool again as he leaned back against the tree.

Sora stared at his best friend. He had never known that that's what had really been bothering him. And it made him feel guilty, for never knowing this. Kairi's reaction was different, just a sad smile on her face, knowing that everything was already done and accounted for.

"Look," Riku said, waving a hand in front of his own face again, as if brushing away more memories, "forget that. I found that place, and I didn't like it. I'm done with it." After a few more silent moments, he turned to glance at his friends. He grinned. "I do remember being sort of self absorbed though, and I do think it'd be fun to hang out in town…if you two are okay with that."

Kairi cheered, hopped off the trunk, and ran off to wait for the other two at the dock. Sora was slower to climb off the tree, watching Riku carefully. "It's okay Sora," Riku stated with a laugh, "I won't bite." Sora smiled. "Everything's cool, okay?" Sora nodded. He started to head off across the bridge towards the shack when Riku called his name again.

Something soft and squishy landed in his hands. Sora bent his head, studying the yellow star shaped fruit there. He looked up at his friend quickly.

"Come on Sora," Riku said, chuckling as he walked past him on the bridge, "don't tell me you forgot all about the paupu and her."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed, feeling his face heat up. Riku laughed at his friend's embarrassment. Dodging the suddenly dangerous flurry of spiky hair, Riku ran off towards the dock, Sora closely following.

_Mwahaha! Now it shall become more interesting. At least, I hope so. o.O Oh by the way, I'm going to be gone for a couple of days to a week, I'm flying half way across the world to spend the summer with my family. So, see you soon! Enjoy, yay. And sorry they're all sort of short, but for some reason, I'm just more comfortable with short chapters._


	5. Chap 4: Of More Photographs

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head. BTW, Org. 13's names were anagrams of the original person's names with an x added. For example, Roxas is an anagram (mixing up of letters) of Sora with an x added. Ex 2, Zexion Ienzo + x. Found this info through wikipedia,org, very helpful**

* * *

Sora met Kairi and Riku in front of their houses the next morning. Thrilled with the fact that their parents had given them plenty of spending money since it was their first day back in town in a long time. The walk to town was filled with laughter and joyous talking. Add a bit of jumping on each other, dancing, and skipping, and the threesome arrived in town. The first stop in the adventure was Gohan's bakery for some donuts or other sugar confectionary. Munching on candies and pastries, the trio slowly made their way through town, greeting old friends and neighbors, often stopping for long periods of time to talk to others. Eventually, the sun rose high in the sky and they all knew they were getting hungry.

"Oh!" Kairi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I was exploring the farther out parts of town with Selphie once and we found this charming cafe. You guys would love it!" She glanced between the two boys, neither of whom looked very excited. Pouting, she stuck her hands on her hips and tried the whimpering, adorable girl move. Sora was the first to break, sighing and nodding his head in defeat. Riku slapped his friend on the side of his head for giving up so early, but he too headed with them through the maze of streets.

_**Hey,**_ something inside of Sora said. _**This looks like home. I bet at sunset, it's just the same.**_ Sora looked at Riku and Kairi, to see if they were hearing the familiar voice as well. Riku continued to saunter untouched, but Kairi exchanged a look. Their Nobody counterparts were recognizing Destiny Islands to be similar to Twilight Town. For a few days, Sora had been completely unaware of Roxas, but now...now he could almost feel, well, himself inside his head again. Kairi, obviously, was also having some Namine thoughts of her own. Riku? Blissfully unaware.

* * *

The Cafe was called "Merrieto's", apparantly they served many sandwichs and lemonade. Sora was easily excited while Riku tossed the idea off as something childish, but seemed to like the idea all the same. They sat down inside near one of the windows, quickly picking up menus. Sora opened up his menu with the others, but was more interested in looking around. The cafe seemed nicer than most of the businesses around this area, and he was curious by nature. His wandering gaze led him to look at the counter, where a girl with firey red hair, pulled up in a messy bun, was writing something down on a pad. She was wearing a black hoodie, almost similar to the Organization's cloaks, and a ruffled pink skirt. Sora gently nudged Kairi, who looked up quickly.

He barely raised his finger, not wanting to make it obvious that he was pointing the girl out. "Kairi," he hissed. "Who's that?" Kairi turned around in her seat, as her chair was the one in the middle facing the window directly. She shook her head.

"I don't know," she answered softly, and bent her head over again to read the menu. Sora studied her some more. He could've sworn that she looked...familiar...

_**Lireal.** _Sora jumped in his seat, causing Riku to raise his eyebrows at him before returning to the menu. _**Sora. Her name's Lireal. I know her...at least...I know of her.** _

_How? You've never been here before. I've never been here before either._

**_Axel. He...he knew her. You know. When he was still...whole. He hunted down pictures of her once. The way Riku...the way Riku looked for me to get you. He missed her. A lot. Talk to her. Please._**

Sora didn't have time to answer Roxas's voice in his head, which surprisingly wasn't freaking him out at all. The redhead had already approached the table, pulling out the pencil that was tucked behind her ear.

"What can I get for you guys?" she asked. Kairi looked up and smiled, ordering a muffin and some sort of soup. It took Riku a moment to reply, he was staring at her. Sora coughed, kicking his friend underneath the table. Riku shot a glare at him.

"Stop it," he growled. Nervously, he turned back to "Lireal". "H-hi," he stuttered, clearing his voice. "I mean, hi." Sora knew the look that swept over his face. It was the "I'm-a-stud" sort of look. For some reason, he thought that the look seemed a little unsteady, unsure. For once. "I'll uh...have...a sandwich."

She raised her eyebrows. "Any particular kind?"

"Oh. Whatever you like the best."

"Okay." She scribbled something down.

"What, you're not going to tell me what it is?" Riku teased.

"Ha!" she said. "You'll find out in a little bit." She turned to Sora. "And for you?"

"Fish. Sandwich, I mean," he said. She nodded and started to walk away. Abruptly, Sora jumped up after her, almost knocking over his chair in his attempt to chase after her. He caught up with her half way through the cafe as she started to meander through the different tables.

"Lireal," he managed to get out. She spun on her heels, a surprised look on her face. "Uh, hi. Can I talk to you for a minute?"If

She turned as she said quickly, "As long as you don't mind me doing my _job_ as well." Sora started to follow her around the cafe, speaking snatches over her shoulder.

"So, I, uh, think I know a friend of yours."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. In fact, you sort of look like him. I mean, I never knew that he had been here before."

"You've got to give me a name here buddy."

"Of course of course. So. You sure it's okay if I talk about this now?"

"Yeah yeah get on with it, I've got a lot of work to do."

"Okay...know any guy named Axel?"

She froze. They were standing near the counter, and she had just placed her notepad on the counter. Not looking at him, she started to rearrange the salt and pepper shakers on the counter. "Axel...almost. Almost. Lae. His name was...Lae."

"Was?"

In a biting voice, she whirled on him. "About a year and a half ago, really big storm. Remember that? He got...hurt. He...changed. As a result of protecting me. And know he's gone. Never saw...Lae...again."

"But did you see Axel?" Sora said, continuing. She turned away again, fiddling with the pencil now.

It wasa few minutes before she responded. "Mhmm..." she said softly. "Only a few weeks ago. He gave me this," she touched the jacket vaguely. "It was only for a few minutes. Said he had to pick up somebody. Another one of his 'plans'. He was always coming up with something. Mischevious, clever. You could never play cards with him, because you'd never know if he was cheating or just playing really, really well. He was good at games. Good at games where he could play both sides."

"Axel...or Lae?"

"Axel, Lae, what's the difference. Lae's gone forever, I'm sure Axel is too. Too...too quick and...ha, firey, for his own good. Axel wrote letters, Lae never had to. Axel had strange assistants who fetched photographs, Lae had a dog who fetched shells."

"Who...who was he?"

Lireal smiled a strange, painful smile. She almost giggled, or maybe scoffed. "He...he was my brother."

_And now, notice 5 is coming into practice. :) I'll try, I think I might edit this later, I'm sitting on the floor of my uncle's house using his laptop while people mill around me, so not concentrating well. Have a nice summer!_


	6. Chap 5: Of Memories and Discussions

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

* * *

They were sitting on the rooftop of the cafe. From there, they could see down the hill, and the rest of the island. Kairi and Sora were sitting a bit lower down on the roof, far enough not to be able to hear the conversation that was going on between Riku and the girl, Lireal. Even though Sora had been with Axel more than Lireal, they had decided that Riku was better suited to explain what had transpired throughout the last year or so.

Kairi swung her legs gently over the side of the roof, her hands gripping the tiles. She watched the ocean ripple as a wave crashed against the side of the island. The sky was an assortment of oranges and reds. They had walked around town with Lireal when she had gotten off on her break, and they had all carefully avoided the subject. But when the sun started to set, they found themselves back at the restaurant, and had ended up on the roof talking. She glanced over at Sora.

He was looking down at the town, the street lights being lit carefully by an older man and a few people milling about. His eyes were clouded over as he watched the scene. She knew what was going on. Well, it was more like her Nobody counterpart did. Kairi nudged her friend gently. His head snapped up, a look of surprise on his face. But when he realized what was going on, he smiled widely and shook his head, letting her know she was okay.

"I wonder what happened to them," Sora said. But to Kairi, his voice seemed a bit different, but only slightly.

"I'm sure that Olette is keeping them in line," Kairi replied carefully, but she noticed that even her voice sounded ever-so-slightly different. They both knew that Namine and Roxas seemed to be speaking, even though all "four" of them knew the three friends at Twilight Town.

"We'll see them again," Sora continued, but his voice seemed a bit doubtful. "I mean, everything here can't stay normal forever, can it? Not for us, because we...we're different. Something'll happen again, won't it?" He was afraid. Afraid that his adventures would be over forever, even though he desperately wanted to settle in to his old life again.

"It will. When we're ready," Kairi replied, smiling and nodding her head affirmatively. Sora grinned and looked up the roof in the direction of the other two.

"So what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Of her."

"Oh. Well...she does look like him. And she had one of those tear drop tatoos."

"Yeah...but she said that he had visited her recently. How do you think...you know, that he did that? And when? He always seemed to be around during that whole thing."

"I don't know," Kairi answered with a shrug and a hopeless shake of her head. "I didn't even know he was from around here. But I've never known everybody on the island, there's a lot of people here. Like," she gestured to the cafe, "I didn't even know about this place until a few months ago."

Neither one of them said anything. Sora sighed. "I can't...I can't believe he was really here all along. Do you think...do you think the Heartless..."He stumbled for words, not wanting to really say it out loud.

Her face saddened. "They must have. When he was protecting her during the storm."

"What do you think happened to his Heartless?"

Kairi shrugged again. "There's no way we can really know. Unless his Heartless became something stronger, like Xemnas's Heartless, then his Heartless has probably become destroyed...or just another figure among millions."

They heard the slow, steady footsteps of someone coming down the roof towards them. They glanced around to see Riku picking his way among the roof tiles. He sat down on the other side of Kairi. "She wants to talk to you," Riku said, not looking at Sora, more at his shoes. Sora looked back up the roof. Lireal had her knees tucked her chin and she was looking in the opposite direction. Sora got cautiously to his feet, climbing his way up towards her.

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey. I'm sorry about...your brother. He was a really great guy."

"Ha. I've heard 'what a clever boy' and 'your brother's a jerk', but never that one. But I 'spose he always did have good intentions...at heart, really." She laughed, in a sort of spiteful way. "Funny, huh...'at heart'...he never told me exactly what happened, but I could tell from what he wasn't saying about what had happened. There were a few rumors circulating around town about what happened to some people during the storm. Lae wasn't the only one that that happened to. For awhile, people were talking about two boys and a girl that had suffered the same fate. Guess that must've you been three. I was hopeful when Kairi came back a month or so after the storm. But then I started getting the letters...and I knew that he wasn't coming back."

"I'm sorry...I..."

"It's okay. It's...it's not your fault. Riku said you were...with Axel when he...was gone."

"Yeah, he even saved us."

"Really?

Sora grinned. "Would've been lost without him."

"Oh...could you tell me about it?"

* * *

"So is she okay?"

"I think she will be. She wanted to know everything. I don't know what'll happen after today, if she's going to hang out with us, or what."

Riku and Kairi were looking up at Sora and Lireal as they talked. Sora seemed to take a deep breath, and then started talking some more, Lireal listening raptly. "Are you happy to be back Riku?" Kairi asked tentatively. Unlike Sora, Riku had seemed a little less comfortable being back on the island.

"Oh yeah, sure," Riku answered quickly. He looked at her for a moment before smiling. "It's nice to be back. Hey Kairi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever remember what happened when you were in that...'heartless' state?"

"Oh. You mean before Sora rescued me?"

Something flashed across his face, but it was so brief that Kairi couldn't quite figure out what it had meant. "Yeah...before...then."

"Oh," she said, a look of determined thought coming across her face. "Hmm...only a few bits, here and there. But, I guess, not really."

A different look quickly passed over Riku's face, but this time she could catch that it was a mixture of regret and relief. Riku tucked his hands behind his head and leaned against the slanting roof behind him. "Well, wouldn't want you to remember anything unpleasant," he said after a few minutes.

"But Sora told me that you tried to save me too," she said after a moment of thought.

Riku seemed to be uninterested in the conversation, but he snapped his head over to look at her. "Oh really?"

"Mhmm," she answered.

"Oh." Riku said, and he glanced away back to the ocean again.

"Thanks Riku," Kairi said.

Still not looking at her, Riku replied, "No problem." As he continued to watch the ocean flow back and forth, he felt something soft land on his cheek, a kiss. Shocked, Riku sat up straight and looked around. He couldn't see her anywhere. He heard foosteps below and watched Kairi daintily step off the rain gutter that she had slid down.

* * *


	7. Chap 6: Of Sponges and Racing Stakes

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

* * *

It was practically noon by the time they saw each other again. Sora had slept in late (not really much of a surprise), Riku (through a strange burst of energy) had been inspired to help his father clean the house, and Kairi...well, Kairi had been out in town most of the morning. When they did see each other, it happened like this: 

Riku had hurled a fistful of fish bones up at Sora's window, reminding his friend that they were supossed to go fishing, whenever he cared to wake up (it was an expert throw, though, must congratulate him on that). This of, course, failed to rise Sorta out of the comfort and warmth of his bed. When Kairi arrived a few minutes later (after completing her mysterious issues in town), they proceeded to call Sora's name together. As one might have guessed, Sora's parents were none to happy, and they went up to wake their son (whether to give him the pleasure of seeing his friends or to get the noise outside to stop, the world shall never know).

Sora soon stumbled outside, having trouble pulling a shirt over his head as he exited the house. This ecnouraged Riku to let out a burst of mocking laughter and sent Kairi into a fit of hysterical (yet observing) giggles. While waiting for his friends to stop laughing, Sora poted and sat down on a rock to tie his shoes.

"Chill Sora, we weren't the ones sleeping until the middle of the day," Riku tossed into the air, taunting the Keyblade Master. Sora didn't answer as he pulled the shoelaces sharply together, creating a crisp _snap!_ing noise. "You still want to go fishing, right?"

This was received with a more positive reaction as Sora leapt to his feet with a grin on his face. They walked to the side of Sora's house,w here they had propped up their fishing poles the night before, coming back from the cafe. "Alright," Sora said as they ambled towards the poles and nets. "If I was sleeping, what were _you_ doing?"

Riku looked away and make incoherant mumbling noises. Sora started to grin and nudged Riku with his elbow. "Come on Rikuuuu, you can tell me, your buddy, ol' pal!"

Riku coughed and said, suddenly investigating his shoes, "I was...er...cleaning..."

"HA!" Sora shouted gleefully, taking his turn to mock his best friend. "Since when does Riku, the almighty powerful king, _clean_?"

"I think it's nice that Riku actually knows what to do with a mop and a sponge," Kairi said, picking up her romd from where it leaned against the wall.

Sora's face immeadiately changed into one of reverance and seriousness. "Of course. Cleaning's great. It makes thing...clean. I can clean too! I'm great at raking up leaves. A PRO really." Kairi looked over at him as Riku bent over to pick up his net. She winked at him. Sora smiled again. "But then again," Sora continued, "it seems a bit early for Riku to be starting his maternal duties."

Riku stood up sharpyl, glancing back and forth between the two, a look of rebellion and confusion on his face. "But I'm not--!" he started to protest.

Kairi giggled, tucked her hands behind her back, and leaned forward. "It's okay Riku," she whispered. "We won't tell anyone about your guilty pleasure."

Thoroughly entertained, Sora and Kairi laughed as they started the walk down the beach. Needless to say, Riku was not as amused...although, the corners of his mouth twitched into the beginning of a smile.

* * *

Having caught nothing for almost three hours, the boy stared bordely out at the ocean, sitting on the sand, their fishing poles cast aside and forgotten. Kairi had gone back to the main island, claiming she'd be back within the hour, after she had finished another "errand". 

"So," Sora said in a blank voice, his body hunched over as he watched the tide flow back and forth with little (or no) interest.

"So," Riku said in return, using the same tone and sitting in the some position.

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I dunno."

"Well. ... Let's think of something."

"Okay."

"Riku?"

"Yah, Sora?"

"Think of something?"

"No."

Sigh. "Oh. Okay."

"Hey Sora."

"Yeah?"

"I've got something."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"..._well_?"

"Well, what?"

"What's your idea!"

"Oh. That. It's not very fun."

"Like this is fun?"

"Well. It's still a bad idea."

"Tell me anyway."

"Okay. Let's toss rocks in the ocean."

"You're right."

"About what?"

"That is a bad idea."

"Shut up. Can you come up with anything better?"

"Yeah."

Sora splashed Riku, his hand reaching forward and spraying water in the older boy's direction.

Riku was motionless before he said in a monotone voice, "Hey. That felt good. Do it again."

So Sora splashed him a second time. Riku splashed Sora back. Then they sat still.

"This sucks."

"Yeah."

"Let's race!"

"Does that mean I'd have to get up?"

"Yes, Riku."

"Oh. Fine. If you insist."

Jumping to their feet, they both ran. Neither one of them stated a destination, but they both seemed to know where they were going. When they stopped, they found themesleveson the other side of the wall, the back part of the island. As they stood panting for a moment, Riku started looking around.

"Hey Sora," he said, nudging his friend's shoulder.

"What?"

"Look."

Sora glanced up from where he stood. "Yeah," he replied, "so? It's the landing. It's alw--" His mind briefly flicked back to the storm before he shook away the though. "Always been here."

"But don't you remember? Or are your thoughts filled up with somethin' else?" Riku teased. Sora turned away so Riku couldn't see the tinge of pink clouding his cheeks. "This is where we used to race, for real."

Sora turned back, nodding. "Right! Hey, remember that race right before we left?"

"The one with the naming of the boat and the starfruit as the stakes?"

"Mhmm," Sora responded.

Riku pondered the situation. "Who won that race?" he asked absentmindedly.

Sora shrugged. But he remembered it just fine.

"Wanna do it again?" Riku suggested.

Sora looked at him before glancing back in the direction of the decaying bridge and the watch tower. "You mean the obastacle course race?"

Riku nodded and affirmative.

"Okay," Sora said, already crouc hing into ready position. "You're on."

Riku bended down too. "Same stakes."

Sora glanced at him, his face a mixture of anger and hope flashed across his face. Riku was looking ahead, away from Sora. "But, wait," Sora started, "We don't have a raft to name."

Riku rolled his eyes and shook his head, but still didn't looka t Sora, only at the racetrack ahead. "I never cared about the name of the raft."

Surprise flitted across Sora's face before being soon replaced by determination. "Deal," he said, grinding his feet against the sand. Without Kairi to count down, it was Riku who was the one to shout 1, then GO. And the race began.

They sprinted forward, grains of sand flying into the air, giving the landing a faint haze. In retrospect, it might have been the signal of something greater. Something greater...hazing over. Sora and Riku leaped over the familiar part of the bridge, which immeadiately broke off again, falling to the water with a satisfying _splash! _They knew they would fix it after the race was done. Sora leaped forward, climbing up the ladder to the watchtower, and Riku sprinted across the beach. They reached the stony walk up at the same time, leaping across the grass and touching the star tree. As suspected, Riku began leaping across the trees while Sora, meanwhile, leapt down to run across the pale white sand. At the moment, their paces were the same, they were perfectly tied.

"Sora! Riku!"

Three things happened. One: Riku and Sora glanced behind them. Two: Riku fumbled over the edge of the palm tree and landed on the beach with a thud, sand confetti bursting into the air. Three: Sora tripped and landed in the water.

* * *


	8. Chap 7: Of Rain and Silence

**/DISCLAIMER/**

**I don't own any of the following characters, locations, items, or any other Square Enix or Disney objects. These stories are based off ideas from the game and in my head.**

* * *

_Three things happened. One: Riku and Sora glanced behind them. Two: Riku fumbled over the edge of the palm tree and landed on the beach with a thud, sand confetti bursting into the air. Three: Sora tripped and landed in the water._

* * *

At first, it was quiet, save for the call of a lonely seagull on the other side of the island. The clear, crisp silence was broken when Sora whipped his head out of the water, from where he had rolled down into the deeper end of the ocean. The salty liquid dripped from the tips of his hair from where it lay flat on his head, and his clothes clung tightly to his body. He stumbled as he stood up, bending over, resting his hands on his knees, and spewing out water in his mouth. He saw something embedded in the sand, and he bent down to pick it up. He put it in his pocket before turning in the direction of the island. The first thing he saw was the girl from the cafe, Lireal, and Kairi standing in the small opening near the star shaped tree. The next thing he saw was Riku sprawled out on the sand. He could see Kairi and the girl angling their heads, trying to see where Riku was. Apparently, the trees were blocking their view. Lireal caught sight of Sora first, and she waved. 

Sora waved back.

Kairi saw the older girl waving, and she looked up from her investigation and saw her friend. She waved as well, although she seemed to be almost...competing in this simple gesture. But Sora had stopped looking, he was slogging forward, his clothes weighing him down. He heard noises as the two girls made their way down from the landing, to the beach below.

The girls reached Riku at almost the same time as Sora. Lireal was already turning the silver haired boy over. Sora dropped to his knees at his friend's side, looking at him, breathing heavily as water trickled down his forehead.

* * *

Kairi reached out and brushed away a few locks of Riku's smooth, silky hair. It surprised her, for a moment, at what she saw. His eyes were closed, and his face looked blissfully peaceful. A feeling that she knew Riku had rarely had. The tips of his mouth were slightly upwards, as if a pleasant thought had just crossed his mind before he fell from the trees above. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the two others stand up, but she was so intent on studying her friend's face, that she didn't know who it was. 

She knew, a few minutes later, when Sora said softly, "I thought you weren't coming back till later." She heard him swallow breathlessly, before turning aside and spitting more of the salty substance out of his mouth. She looked at him, glaring for a second because he was thinking about her instead of Riku. He saw the look and understood it, smiling. He shrugged. "He'll be fine." But his voice wavered slightly on the last word. He looked away from the redhead, back down at his fallen friend. "He looks...peaceful."

So Sora had seen it too.

Lireal approached again, her hands cupped together. She bent down slowly, before suddenly tipping the contents of her cupped hands on Riku's face. The seawater splashed across his cheekbones, racing along his lips and the corners of his eyes. A single moment passed before he jerked, sitting upwards violently. His head hit Lireal's, and the latter party fell backwards. Riku, unconcerned for his own head even after smashing into the ground and then into another's skull, quickly leaned over.

"Are you okay?" he said, his words slurring as his vision, still slightly impaired from his fall, blurred.

She was holding her head, looking slightly annoyed. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?" Riku nodded, not trusting his words to come out clearly, afraid to make him sound likea foolish drunkard.

The four sat quietly for a few minutes, looking at each other. Riku was the first to speak (in his normal voice, by now), "What happened to you?" Riku's hands were out behind him as he leaned backwards on his palms, his legs stretched out in front of him.

Sora sat on his knees, hishead bent over slightly with the weight of the water. "I tripped," he said simply. Riku laughed as Sora started to wring out his hoodie.

Kairi glanced up from where she had been staring at the sand to look at Sora. A pang rushed through her, feeling guilty that she had not even recognized the fate of her other friend. "Are you okay?" Kairi said quickly, hoping that the words did not betray the worry that had flooded her.

He didn't even look at her. "I'm fine," he grunted.

Lireal reached over and brushed something out of Sora's hair. He looked at her with surprise on his face. Her face was expressionless. "You had seaweed in your hair," she said, holding up a string of the leafy green plant. He grinned. She winked at him.

Kairi felt a pang. But it was a different kind.

* * *

They were sitting in the watch tower as rain poured down on the island, smearing the perfect white sand and sending the lone seagull into a frenzy of worry. The rain had started off as a few simple drops, adding to the last drops of water that fell from Sora's face as he dried off. Then, it was a few trickles coming down along the trunks of the palm trees. And as if the heavens above had snapped their fingers, it was a sudden downpour. Knowing they didn't have enough time to make to make it to the shack on the other side without getting totally drenched, they raced over the uprise in the island and climbed up to the tower. They sat now, leaning against the two walls of the tower. It was larger than they had thought it to be, and they all could sit while comfortably. Sora sat across fromKairi, next to Lireal, and Riku next to Kairi, across from Lireal. Riku had one leg stretched out, as he restedhis arm on the other knee. Sora had both of hisknees up, his arms crossed and resting on thetablehis knees created. Lireal had her legs crossed out in front out her, and Kairi sat "criss cross apple sauce" style, as Riku said.

Somehow, the only two who had managed to get wet were the girls. Lireal had already peeled off the now soaked black hoodie she wore, folding it up and putting it at her side, feeling dry in a yellow t-shirt. Kairi, her hair hanging limply around her face, shivered as she looked out on the side of the tower where the ladder was, looking out at the ocean. They were all panting slightly, tired from the sudden exhaustion of sprinting to the tower.

Riku had his head tilted backwards against the wall, closing his eyes as he heard the rain stream down outside.

Lireal closed her eyes as well, but a sad smile was hinting about her mouth as a droplet ran down the side of her cheek, through the center of the tear drop tatoo. She felt it. And she didn't know if, perhaps, it was a lonely tear or simply the rain.

Sora looked up from where his head had been buried his arms to look at the girl across from him. He noticed how delicately her shoulders shook, and the determined look on her wet face as she tried to hide it. He pulled off his jacket, this motion causing all in the tower to look at him, for the tower was only so big. He pulled the remaining sleeve off shook it off of the few bits of rain that had hit him, and crawled forward, placing the jacket around the girl's shoulders. He sat back, his legs folding out again.

The shivering stopped almost immeadiately. She didn't trust her eyes, so she didn't look at the boy as she threaded her arms through the jacket, the warmth of it spreading throughout her body. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Still recovering from the run, the four sat in silence as the rain smacked against the roof of the tower.

* * *


	9. Chap 8: Of Lighters and Candy

Yeah yeah I don't own KH :( oh well wahooo at least I can write about it...

_I just felt like writing today, so, yay. Enjoy...and I do the random question thing too (you'll get what I mean when you get there)._

_..Sunny_

* * *

Rain dripped down the edge of the roof of the watch tower and splattered on Riku's face. He let it trail its way slowly through his silky hair and down his cheek before it landed with a simple _plop!_ on the wooden floorboards of the tower. He watched the other three carefully. They had only been in the tower about five minutes, but the silence seemed to weigh a bit heavily. Riku forced himself to look at his best friend, who was kitty-corner from him.

The brown, spiky haired boy was watching the auburn haired girl across from him. Riku watched as Sora pretended not to be looking, and instead, to be glancing out past Kairi to the wet island. But Riku knew, oh, he knew what Sora was really staring at. He shook his head so slightly, that it was almost non existent. He closed his eyes and tilted his head backwards again, up to the roof. The raindrops fell on his eyes. It was nice.

He was all too aware of the tight competition between the two of them for Kairi. She never seemed to notice. All the races and the "just for fun" battles. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes parting slightly. The rain drops that had been resting on his eye lids slid down his cheeks, resembling a sort of crying look. He felt their cold tracks, but didn't do anything about them.

She was shivering, he could tell. He wanted to hold her, make her warm again. He bit the inside of his lip a little too harshly. But Sora had…given her his jacket. Her hair stuck to her cheeks…he wanted to reach out, to brush it away, so he could see her better. He wondered if she had been scared, about him…when he fell…

His gaze drifted back to Sora. He couldn't tell…what his thoughts were of Sora, exactly. Sora was his greatest ally, his closest friend. It had always been that way. But they had always been…well…competitive. But it never really seemed a problem. It really was never a problem.

_'Til now…_Riku thought bitterly, but quickly cast away the thought. He had spent so much time, had even given himself to the darkness to save her…but what had come of it? Nothing at all…he had even made it worse. He grimaced slightly and close his eyes for a few moments. The guilt and shame and regret that washed through him brought him down, that he could not save her. He could tell, though, that even though Kairi had hugged him…had kissed him even (the corners of his lips ever-so-slightly tilted up), that she would always pick Sora over him. Riku looked away, wondering if the jealousy would turn into something more…hatred, perhaps? He shook his head the way he had before, ever so slightly. He wouldn't let it get to that. He found himself looking at Lireal, across from him.

He smiled slightly to himself. Her bright, scarlet hair collided brilliantly with the aquamarine eyes that were watching him. When Lireal realized that Riku was looking back at him, she winked and then glanced outside of the tower, where it was raining. Her hand was fishing around for something in her pocket. Riku let out a small sigh. It floated out into the air in a pale cloud. He wondered why he had.

All eyes in the tower turned to Axel…Lae's sister as she pulled out a small, shiny object from her pocket. They watched her as she flipped the top of it, back and forth, back and forth. Until suddenly, the top a lit and fire sparked from the top. Instinctively, the other three moved closer in.

"What's that?" Sora asked. He was the closest, and most of his body was leaning on the girl's. In turn, Lireal was leaning on the keyblade master, so their combined forces allowed them to sit up straighter. Kairi noticed this and glanced towards Riku to see his reaction, but he seemed to be completely uninterested in her.

"A lighter," Lireal said simply.

"A what?" Riku questioned, reaching out. He let his hand hover above the lighter. Kairi made a noise as if to stop him from burning himself, but Riku simply grinned and moved his hand closer to the fire.

"Be careful," Lireal warned in her same, sarcastic tone. "You will in fact burn yourself." Riku raised his eyebrows.

"So this is a lighter…and this is real fire?"

"Got it memorized?"

Predictably, something inside of Sora snapped. The voice in his head that was always there. Sora didn't mind, so much. It was like having a friend that you could talk to, but already knew what was going on, so there was never that awkward silence. "What'd you say?" Sora asked. Kairi glanced at him. She knew too.

Lireal glanced at the two of them, and then her eyes rested on Riku for a moment, but only a moment longer. She snapped the lighter shut and stuffed it back in her pocket. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned back against the tower wall, causing Sora to fall on his face.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, but it was in vain, for Sora was already sitting up and rubbing his nose. He looked at Kairi for a moment. And then, he turned away to look at Lireal.

The other girl winced. "Sorry 'bout that."

Sora, good natured as always, grinned and nodded his head. "I'm fine," he said, leaning back against the wall. Although, for minutes afterwards, he continue to gently rub his nose. Kairi and Riku leaned back as well, the warm phenomenon gone. They sat there in silence once again, Sora tapping his fingers along his hands. Kairi was, in turn, looking at him. Sora, unfortunately for him, didn't see this.

"So!" he said, his usual cheerfulness returning. "What should we do?"

Riku shook his head, hiding a smile. "What _can_ we do? We're stuck in this tower."

"Well…" Sora faltered and scratched his head, water droplets flying. Lireal was hit by the flying water first, and she brushed them off carelessly. Kairi was hit next. And as she was already soaking wet, she simply laughed. Riku was barely hit at all, and he just grinned. When Sora noticed his mistake, he smiled and offered a sheepish "sorry".

"What about if we walk out in the rain?" Kairi suggested. The theme of being out drenched in the rain had appealed to Selphie and she immensely over last school year, when they amused themselves by reading romance novels. This idea seemed to stick, but only for a moment.

"I can't be out in the rain," Lireal said, but she didn't sound angry or annoyed, like it would seem. The others glanced at her.

Riku gestured with one of his hands. "You _can't_, or you don't like it?"

Lireal shot Riku a swift glare. "Technically I don't like it," Lireal replied.

"Ah," Riku said nodding his head, the silver strands of hair moving back and forth about his face.

They sat in silence as they tried to brainstorm more ideas. After almost ten minutes of the rain continuing to come down, they realized that there was only one thing to do. As Riku opened his mouth to speak, a torrent of rain thundered down on the small island, making the noise even louder and the drops falling even larger.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted over the rain. The brunette turned to look at him. She nodded for him to go on. "Did it rain this much while we were gone?"

She shook her head wildly. Her face and hair were dry, but her clothes were still damp. At least the hoodie was still warm. "I don't know why it's raining like this! It hasn't done this before!"

There was silence for a few moments while each of the four pondered something to say. Lireal was first. "Riku!"

"Yeah!"

"What's your favorite color!"

"What?"

"Your favorite color! What is it!"

"Uh…I don't know! Green maybe! Why do you ask!"

"Random question!"

"But why!"

"Somethin' to do!"

Questions like these proceeded around the tower. An hour passed. The converstion lulled here and there but would pick up and again when someone thought of a new wacky question or something to say. Another hour passed. The rain still drove down hard.

"This is impossible!" Sora shouted. "There wasn't this much water in Atlantis!"

"Where!" Lireal shouted back at him.

"Atlantis! Mermaids!"

She smiled. "Cool! Although, I don't think I could ever go underwater!"

"Why not!" Riku asked. "Do you even know how to swim!"

"'Course I know how to swim! What kind of idiot lives on an island and doesn't learn how to swim! I just don't like it!" Lireal shouted back.

"You scared or something!" Riku responded, his voice rising as the rain came, miraculously, even harder down.

Lireal shook her head. "My family has just always had an issue with being cold! And wet!"

"Is that why you carry that lighter around!" Kairi shouted.

"Yeah!"

The grey skies above simply got even darker when twilight and soon after, night began to fall. They had passed the hours when Lireal had, mysteriously, pulled out a deck of cards from her black jacket. By now, the three best friends were regarding the jacket her brother (or his Nobody) had given her as some sort of relic. This, along with singing odd songs and laughing at each other's awful musical talent, gave them a sort of bonding with their new…friend.

"Do you think Wakka and the gang are still on the island!" Sora shouted.

"I don't think they were on it to begin with!" Kairi shouted back. Riku nodded an affirmative.

"Who!" Lireal shouted.

"Some friends of ours! You'll meet em soon enough!" Riku filled in.

"Are you guys hungry!" Sora shouted.

"Do you always think about food!" Riku answered.

Sora pouted. "I do not! You think about it as much as I do!" Riku shrugged in consent.

The three watched as Lireal shifted slightly, her hands reaching in towards her to pull something out of hidden pockets. She produced candy bars. "Sorry!" she shouted as she unwrapped hers. "It's all I had!"

Sora grinned, taking a large bite of his, chocolate smearing around his mouth. "Don't worry! This is great!"

(By now, you must've realized, their voices were getting quite sore.)

Kairi laughed and licked her thumb. She reached out and rubbed the chocolate away. He watched her carefully, and when she pulled back, a rosy tint colored her cheeks and she smiled a small smile at him. Sora, still a bit mesmerized, could only watch her as she began to delicately open up the wrapping paper. Riku and Lireal saw nothing of this, as Riku had challenged Lireal to a game of rock, paper, scissors in exchange for trading candy bars.

Lireal won.

Riku sighed in defeat, shook the redhead's hand, and leaned back to eat his candy. "So Lireal!" Riku shouted, starting up a new conversation.

"Yeah!"

"What's with your jacket!"

Kairi elbowed Riku harshly in the ribs. Letting out a _very_ audible "ow!", Riku turned to look at her. She pouted and he quickly got the message, looking away for fear that Kairi's expression would turn into a glare.

"It's okay!" Lireal shouted, saving Riku from almost certain lecturing. "Just another magical gift of Organization XIII and their cloaks!" This brought slightly halted laughter as they were once again reminded of their troubled pasts.

As it got darker, Lireal pulled the lighter from her pocket again. Sora thought of his fire magic. He knew he shouldn't used it, and became quiet as he refrained from mentioning it. Out of exhaustion and boredom, the four began yawning and stretching out their arms. This proved of some difficulty, as for when any one of them would stretch, their arms would unavoidably whack into another's head.

Sora was the first one to have his eyelids droop unexpectedly and for his head to nod up and down slightly before he would reawaken himself. This led the others to realize that all of them would soon be dropping off as well. Rather than wait for them all to pile up on each other when they fell asleep, the four tried to make some sort of arrangements of how they would go to sleep. Horizontal or vertical? Lireal next to Kairi or Lireal next to Riku? Sleep closer to make more room?

It was decided in the end to go something like this: Sora and Riku would sleep on the outside, where the open spaces were. Hopefully, they wouldn't move and roll out, but if they did, they figured they'd be less hurt than the girls (Lireal protested to this, but Riku could not be moved from his choice). Lirael would sleep next to Riku (this led to less moving about) and Kairi would, of course, end up sleeping next to Sora. This would leave them four across. They had thought of going vertical, so their heads were faced towards one opening and their feet towards the other, but this had proved too squashed.

There was some rustling about and bad coordinating as the four tried to get into their positions so this wouldn't cause trouble later on. The tower was smaller than they had estimated (there did seem to be a lot more room when they were sitting) and this caused a few things to happen. One, the four were all pushed closer together. Two, since Riku and Sora were now bordering on the very edge of the tower, they had to face inwards.

Now, they couldn't very well talk amongst themselves, so it pretty much led to Lireal and Riku along with Sora and Kairi. Because, Kairi felt the duty to explain, if she and Lireal were to talk, then that would leave the boys bored and awake for some hours to come. Lireal and Riku's conversation was very quiet, but they didn't talk about anything in particular.

As it would turn out, it was only about fifteen minutes before the younger two fell asleep, so their conversation was short.

"Sora," Kairi said softly. Since they were close now, they no longer had to shout, just to be listening carefully. And, guaranteed, the two were listening very closely to each other.

"Yes Kairi?" Sora answered, he shifted his feet nervously, and his shoes clunked against the wall. He winced, and Kairi tried to hold in giggles. He grinned. He liked it when she had that smile, trying to suppress laughter. It rarely worked. But for some reason, she was able to calm herself down.

"Are you…" she started, then looked down towards her own shoes. Her hands were resting, tucked underneath her cheek. Sora had one arm under his head, serving as an awful makeshift pillow, and his other arm was resting on his side.

"What is it, Kairi? You can talk to me about anything, you know," Sora offered quietly. She nodded but stayed quiet. He watched her. He smiled to himself. Yes, he definitely like watching her. Her blue eyes glanced back up at him. He grinned. As it normally was, she couldn't resist grinning back.

"Are you okay? From when you fell?"

Sora hid his surprise and strangely felt joy by making a shrugging gesture, not wanting to move about too much in case he fell. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

He looked at her again. She looked…worried. He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Kairi. Just got salt water up my nose, that's all." She giggled softly. They were quiet for a few minutes, and they moved a little closer, happy to be feeling each other's warmth.

"Sweet dreams, Kairi."

"Hehe, you too Sora. Good night."

"'Night."

* * *


End file.
